Our news

Album number seven from the Bob Robson collection has now been added to the Photographs page on this website. This selection of Bob’s photos covers the 2000-2002 period. We hope you continue enjoy this unique record of No. 6024’s life.

In total there are nine of Bob’s albums to be published, more will follow very soon.

On Saturday 19 January No.6024’s tender, No.2425, took another big step towards completion with the final fitting of the tank to the chassis in the workshops at Highbridge. This follows on from its rewheeling and subsequent independent inspection in late 2018.

Much work remains to be done before the tender can be moved to Minehead to join the engine. Just some of the tasks remaining are:

Bolting the tank to the chassis, it was previously riveted.

Fitting numerous smaller items such as toolboxes, hoses and footplating.

Lots of painting with final painting to be undertaken at Minehead.

Significant electrical wiring which is probably the biggest remaining task and one which could not progress until the tank was fitted.

Something a little different…. No.6024 features in a recently published and very readable physics textbook written for university students and those with a more general interest in science and technology, “Outside the Research Lab Volume 2 – Physics in Vintage and Modern Transport” by Sharon Ann Holgate.

The total reworking of No.6024’s electrical systems during the current overhaul is covered in some detail in chapter two of this interesting and informative book. The locomotive even features on the cover! Other railway related topics covered in the book are the electrical systems on A1 No.60163 Tornado, class 08 and 09 diesel shunting locomotives and the Milwaukee Roadstreamlined Cedar Rapids Skytop parlour lounge observation car in the USA.

Album number six from the Bob Robson collection has now been added to the Photographs page on this website. This selection of Bob’s photos covers the the late 1990s and early 2000s. We hope you continue enjoy this unique record of No. 6024’s life.

In total there are nine of Bob’s albums to be published, more will follow very soon.

The last couple of working parties of 2018 have seen some significant progress made with some very visible items on the engine’s chassis.

The inside right connecting rod has been installed whilst both sets of coupling rods (left and right) have been trial fitted. These require very little further work to see them fitted more permanently.

All the components for the inside left connecting rod have been prepped for fitting, the actual fitting being paused until the new air brake pipes running down the inside of the frame had been finished. This has been achieved allowing the connecting rod to be fitted early in 2019. Rapid progress on the outside connecting rods is expected through January.

In early December Eddie Draper of Ricardo Rail visited both the tender and the engine as part of their periodic checks on progress. This successful visit means that in early 2019 the tender tank can be reunited with the chassis taking it much closer to completion.

Album number five from the Bob Robson collection has now been added to the Photographs page on this website. This selection of Bob’s photos covers the end of the overhaul at Kineton in 1996 through to mainline operations during 1998. We hope you enjoy this unique record of No. 6024’s life.

Over a two day period of work at Highbridge, on Saturday and Sunday 27 and 28 October, the tender frames were reunited with its wheels.

Re-wheeling may sound like a simple term but it is a procedure which needs more than just the wheels to be available – all the associated components are also necessary. The major items fitted over the working days were:

The wheels fitted have not previously run with tender No.2425 having run under tender No.2690 which now runs with No.5029 Nunney Castle. The two tenders swapped wheelsets a few years ago to get maximum life out of those under No.2425 and to keep No.5029 running, the wheelset tyres under tender No. 2690 having become life expired.

It was pleasing to find no problems with the new air brake and electrical equipment fitted. All items are well clear of the wheel and axles.

The next stage of work will see the brake gear fitted and a small number of electrical tasks undertaken to allow the tender tank to be refitted. It is planned this will happen before Christmas once our external inspection body have pronounced themselves happy with the work so far undertaken.

New Website and Social Media Sites

The new website for the 6024 Preservation Society Ltd has been published following several months work between our developers Squarebird and Society officers. If you are a member of the society but have not received details of how to login to the members area please send an email asking for access details to contact@6024.com.

In addition to the website 6024 now has an official presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Please follow us to keep up to date with 6024 King Edward I.

Tender Tank Trial Fitted

In preparation for the final fitting of the tender tank to the chassis, in late June 2018, the tank was trial fitted.

This allowed us to check for any problems and finalise our plans to fit the tank towards the end of the summer. A few pipes and pieces of conduit – all new to the tender – had to be “tweaked” to achieve a satisfactory fit but no major problems were found. We can now move on to preparing the workshop and chassis for the permanent fitting of the tank.